Super Mario to go mobile as Nintendo ventures into Smartphone games

Apps

Japanese video game maker Nintendo Co Ltd will venture into Smartphone games, heeding calls from investors to boost revenue by taking iconic characters like Super Mario to players increasingly shunning its consoles.

Nintendo, which already warned its annual operating profit would have an weak console sales, said on March 17, 2015 it was teaming up with online gaming firm DeNA  Co Ltd to develop and operate gaming apps.

The two companies will also launch later this company’s will also launch later this year an online membership service accessible on mobile devices as well as Nintendo’s existing Wii U console and the portable 3DS.

“This will allow us to build a bridge between smart devices and gaming consoles,” Nintendo President Satoru Iwata told reporters. “It doesn’t mean smart devices will eat away at gaming consoles, it will create an entirely new type of demand.”

Investors have long called on Nintendo to shift its focus to mobile devices after losing customers to both Smartphone gaming app markers and console rivals like PlayStation maker Sony Corp and Xbox maker Microsoft Corp.

The company had so far resisted these calls, pinning its hopes on hit games such as “Mario Kart 8”. But in January, it halved its operating earnings target for the fiscal year through March to 20 billion yen ($ 169 million), citing weak 3DS sales in the year-end holiday season.

Under the partnership, Nintendo and DeNA would buy 22 billion yen worth of shares in each other. As a result, Nintendo will acquire a 10 percent stake in DeNA while DeNA will acquire a 1.2 percent stake in Nintendo.

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Britain raises minimum wage by 3pc.

Britain

Britain on Tuesday announced a three percent rise in the minimum wage, the largest real terms increase since 2008, although critics said it was still not enough.

 More than 1.4 million people will benefit when the change comes into effect in October, raising the hourly minimum for workers over 21 by 20 pence to Euros 6.70 (9.30 Euros, $ 9.90).

 The announcement, which comes on the eve of the government’s final budget before May’s general election, is in line with recommendations made by the independent Low Pay Commission last month.

 The government also raised the minimum wage for apprentices 20 percent to Euros 3.30 an hour, significant higher than the Euros 2.80 recommended by the commission. “At the heart of our long-term economic plan for Britain is a simple idea—that those who put in, should get out; that hard works rally rewarded; that the benefits of recovery are truly nations,” Prime Minister David Cameron said.

But the opposition Labor party, which has not warned that the recovery has not resulted in a rise in living standards, said the increase fell short of the Euros 7 minimum wage promised by the government more than a year ago.

  “Ministers have misled working families who have been left worse off…. We need a recovery for working people,” said Labor business spokesman Chuka Umunna.

The international Labor Organization warned in December that real wages in Britain in 2013 fell below levels seen in 2007, at the start of the global financial crisis.  

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German inventor sentiment hits 13 – month high

Business

German is a powerful county. Investors in Germany are optimistic about the outlook for Europe’s biggest economy given the strength of domestic demand, could sour sentiment in future, data showed on Tuesday.

The widely watched investor confidence index calculated by the ZEW economic institute rose for fifth consecutive month to ZEW said in a statement.

“Economic sentiment in Germany remains at a high level. In particular, the continuing positive development of the domestic economyconfirms the expectation of the expert,” said ZEW president Clements Fuest.

“At the same time, limited progress is being made with regard to solving the Ukraine conflict and the sovereign debt crisis in Greece. This has a dampening effect on sentiment,” Fuest added.

For the survey, ZEW questions analysts and institutional investors about their current assessment of the economic situation in Germany, as well as their expectation for the coming months.

The sub-index measuring financial market players view of the current economic situation in Germany jumped by 9.6 points to 55.1 in March, its highest level since July 2014.

“The March ZEW reading may have disappointed analyst’s high expectations. But optimism is still growing,” said Bayern LB economist Stefan Kipar. “It could also feed into hard economic data in the coming months,” Kipar said. But “momentum may remain moderate against the backdrop of uncertainty surrounding Greece and Ukraine,” he added.  

Natixis economist Johannes Gareis felt the Greek crisis “is steadily disappearing from the radar screen of German investors.”

This was reflected in the strong rise in the blue-chip DAX index which is now firmly above 12,000 points, driven by optimism about the European Central Bank’s ultra-expansive monetary policy, the expert argued.

“At this stage, there is no strong case for beginning to question the strength of Germany‘s economic recovery,” he said.

Berenberg Bank economist Christian Schulz attributed the rise in the ZEW index to “the tailwinds of cheap oil, a weaker euro and lower funding costs for companies and households.

However, the New Greek risk many be dampening optimism somewhat, he cautioned.

ING DiBa economist Carsten Brzeski felt that over the last two years, the ZEW index “has returned as an interesting and more reliable indicator for future economic growth.”

“As a main beneficiary of the ECB’s program me of quantitative easing, supported by sound domestic fundamentals, the German economy should power ahead,” he said.

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Commercial Reports of Bank

Bank

A new money market instrument –com - metrical paper – is gaining popularity among companies owing to its low cost and easy access.

 At least four companies have so far raised TK 345 corer through six commercial papers since its introduction in the country in October 2013, with half of the funds collected in just the last four months.

 Many companies are interested in CP as it is a low-cost alternative to bank loans, said Ali Reza Iftekhar, managing director and chief executive of Eastern Bank that introduced the short – term debt instrument in Bangladesh.

 EBL has so far arranged TK 100 corer through this channel for ACI and Shanta Properties and has another TK 200 corer worth of deals in the pipeline, he added. Companies issue commercial papers, a short-term unsecured debt instrument, to raise funds financing needs. Financial institutions act as arrangers and agents for the issuers.

Maturities on commercial papers rarely range any longer than 365 days, and the debt is usually issued at a discount, reflecting prevailing market interest rate.

Since it is not backed by collateral, only firms with high-quality debt ratings will easily finds buyers without having to offer a substantial discount ( higher cost ) for the debt issue.

With CP, companies can now get funds at 10 -11 percent interest against the normal lending rate of 13 percent, which explains their rising  popularity, according to Anis A Khan, managing director of Mutual Trust Bank that already arranged TK 95 crore this way.

                                      COMMERCIAL   PAPERS

ISSUER                           LEAD ARRANGER             AMOUTNT (IN CORORES TK)

ACI (Oct 2013)	Eastern Bank	50
ACI ( Jun 2014 )	City Bank	75
Shanta Properties (Aug 2014)	Eastern Bank	50
Pran Agro (Dec 2014 )	Mutual Trust	45
Bangal Plastics ( Feb 2015 )	Mutual Trust	50
ACI (Mar 2015 )	IDLC Finance	75

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Economist Piketty refuses France’s highest honour

Economic

France's influential economist Thomas Piketty , author of the bestseller “ Capital in the 21^st Century “ , on 1 January refused to accept the country’s highest award , the Legion d’heonneur , to criticize the  Socialist government in power .

“I have just learned that I was nominated for the Legion of honour . I refuse this nomination because I don’t think it is the government’s role to decide it is honourable,” Piketty told AFP.

“They would do better to concentrate on reviving (economic) growth in France and Europe, added Piketty , who was once close to the Socialist Party but has distanced himself from the policies of President Francois Hollander .

The 43-year-old economist was on the published list of nominess for the prestigious aware on January 1. Other recipients includedFrance’s two 2014 Noble laureates, Jean Tirole, the winner of the economics prize, and Patrick Modiano for literature.

Piketty has gained attention worldwide with his book of theories about growing economic inequality, which has sold some 1.5 million copies.

While it is rare to turn down the award created by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, Piketty is not alone. The list of those who refused the honour includes such French literary notables as Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir as well as master artist Claude Monet and celebrated anti-poverty campaigner Abbe Pierre.

Their reasons for refusing the Legion d’honneur varied from disagreeing with the government to asserting their independence or indifference.

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The role of women in Bangladesh Economy

Women

Bangladesh is a small developing  country in Asia . It's a large population country . Of the population , 50% are women . Now- a-days women have started joining work force , contribution to family and thus started  exercising influence on family affairs . Thought women have always worked the house hole work ,this is not commonly counted as 'work' . The presence of working women outside the home indicate a conspicuous change in our society . Whether it is due to economic necessity or the urge to establish an individual identity or both , a large number of women are entering the outside workforce and they are joining a wide range of progressions . Women are now becoming doctors . nurses , teachers . military officers , police , administrators , executives and thus they are entering all kinds of jobs. It is not only educated women who are opting to work but women with a little or no education have come out of their home to earn and become self-reliant.

Women in rural areas are directly engaged in various activities during harvesting period . A large number of women are engaged in cottage industries in rural areas . Their handicrafts are in great demand at home and abroad . We are earning a lot of foreign exchange by exporting these products.

The women in Bangladesh are playing a vital role in textile , knitting and ready-made garments  sector . About 85% of the total working force in the garments sector are women . They have proved their skill and efficiency very effectively in this sector . We know that ready-made garments is the largest sector of earning foreign exchange in our country and this sector is mostly depended on our women workers .

In processing food crops and food staffs , women are playing an important role . Similarly , out women are playing significant role in construction sectors like construction of high-rise buildings , shopping malls . etc . Many women are working as nurses and doctors overseas and thus they are sending a substantial amount of remittance to our .

Many women entrepreneurs have come forward to invest money in industrial sector and thus us to increase our foreign exchange .

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Blue economy system

Blue economy system  is one of most salient factors contributing to the social-economic development of a coastal country .

Blue Economy and It's background :

Blue economy refers to the sea economy .It encompasses all economy . It encompasses all economic activities associated with the oceans, harbours, ports, coastal zones and other sea based activities . It is  related to sea borne trade and commerce , ocean science and such other economic aspects . Blue economy  is a designed theory , initiated by Gunter Pauli , which he developed  over the last 30 years.Blue economy was brought into light with " The Blue Economy 10 years - 100 Innovations-100 Million Jobs ." It was written by Gunter Pauli after 16  years of experiences.
With the arrangement by UN , Rio+20 was held on 20-22 June 2012 in Rio de  Janeiro , Mexico . In this summit ,the idea and importance of "Blue Economy" were explained and its base was firmed up strongly by the coastal countries and Islands . Since then , blue economy has been in economy .

The blue economy plays a vital role for every country . Because more than 70% of our planet is covered by ocean and about 90% of the world's trade of goods is conducted by sea . They connect all of us to each other . The ultimate aim of business model of blue economy is to transform the country from scarcity to abundance by tackling issues that cause environmental and related problems in new ways ( Gunter Pauli 2010 ) . The potential benefit of Blue economy is with innovative solutions that are environmentally beneficial and  wider social benefits .

Blue economy

Blue Growth is the long-term strategy to support sustainable growth in the marine and maritime sectors as a whole . Seas and oceans are drivers for the blue economy while technology and knowledge are the twin resources to tare control over these resources . The blue economy has created roughly 5.4 million jobs in EU alone . Blue sectors are numerous , consisting of aqua culture , coastal tourism , marine biotechnology , ocean energy , seabed mining etc.      

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Now China's military is not ready 'to fight and win future wars'

China

Hong Kong - Despite huge advances, China's military suffers from "serious weaknesses" that could limit its ability "to fight and win future wars," a congressional study released this week suggests.

The 184-page report sponsored by the U.S. Congress-mandated U.S.- china Economic and Security Review Commission and prepared by the Rand Corporation, says the People's Liberation Army has made rapid progress in a short time.

However, weaknesses in its organizational structure -- including corruption among its ranks -- and in its combat capabilities mean it faces serious challenges.

"These shortcomings could limit its ability to successfully conduct the information-centric, integrated joint operations Chinese military strategists see as required to fight and win future wars," the report said.

 READ : Just how good is China's news 'stealth' fighter ?

Shortcomings in its combat capability include logistical weaknesses. In particular, the report says that China lacks the "amphibious lift" -- the ability to transport enough forces and military assets -- for an outright invasion of Taiwan.

China's navy has not fully mastered anti-submarine warfare, the report said, adding that it is experiencing problems integrating complex modern weaponry with existing equipment. The report said it also lacks the necessary trained personnel to operate this weaponry.

Its air force, meanwhile, is grappling with limited numbers of special-mission aircraft and a fleet that comprises multiple generations of planes.

China's Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

'Riddled with corruption'

The 2.3-million-strong PLA is "riddled" with corruption, the report said, because of a major lack of external oversight --- the only civilian in the chain of command is President Xi Jinping.

Xu Caihou, a top retired general, recently confessed to taking bribes and it's widely believed that promotions and positions can be bought.

 READ : Chiana's military machines goes on show all.

And among lower ranks, reports of officers selling military housing and using military plates to avoid speed limits, highway tolls and parking restrictions are widespread.

Most are still drawn from rural areas with limited education although there is a push to recruit more college graduates.The report also said that low pay, and a lack of realistic training exercises -- exercises are seen as failures if the PLA loses -- present further challenges, as do the skills of its recruits.

Moreover, China's "one-child" policy, which has created the "little emperor" phenomenon of spoiled children produces recruits who "may not be tough enough to withstand military discipline," the report added.

 READ : China's did not steal U.S. desingns'

But the PLA is well aware of its shortcomings, the report said, with military publications and Chinese sources suggesting that "there is still a large gap between China and developed countries' militaries, especially the United States."

The report concludes that U.S. military planners need to understand China's incomplete military transformation so they can ensure the U.S. and its allies can deter China from using force or the threat of force to resolve disputes with its neighbors.

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